Just A Trim, Please
by GearsGirl6295
Summary: Baird/Sam one-shot. (Rated T for sexual content.)


At first, Samantha Byrne didn't know what to make of the blue-eyed mechanic when she walked into his room, her arms full of supplies she'd collected earlier with Anya; clean towels, toiletries, some first aid items, even a couple tees and muscle-shirts she was sure would fit him. They had been right to call Azura's grand hotel their home; everything they needed was already inside, if you knew where to look.

But the brunette forgot all about her "treasures" as her eyes took in the sight of an unaware Damon Baird, who was staring into the mirror above his dresser, awkwardly bringing a pair of nail clippers to the nape of his neck before pulling away, glancing briefly at the small object, seemingly unsure of what to do next. Just as he was raising his arm again, Sam placed her bundles on his bed, causing him to turn.

"What are you doing?" he asked, tone grouchy as always, eyes drifting to the small pile of items strewn upon his perfectly made bed.

"I could ask you the same thing Blondie," Sam replied coolly, ignoring his rude greeting.

"How the hell did you get in here anyway…" he mumbled, straining to glace at his apparently unlocked door before turning back to his reflection, ignoring the female gear's existence completely. Sam didn't react; she simply took a load off, flopping onto his bed, wrinkling the comforter in the process. She saw Baird squirm as she did so, setting his jaw tightly before returning to his task, which caused an evil grin to sweep across Sam's lips, if only for a moment.

"You're welcome for the supplies, by the way," she stated casually, closing her eyes for a bit. "I made sure to pick up a couple of new shirts for you—clean ones, so you can quit walking around like a slob all the time."

"Well that is just so _sweet_ of you Byrne. I'm touched, really," Baird responded sarcastically, not bothering to turn around. The comeback was somewhat half-hearted though; it occurred to him that Sam, in her own irritating kind of way, had possibly taken an interest in his appearance. It shouldn't have fazed him.

Sam smiled, eyes still shut. "No trouble at all."

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" she asked after a bit, watching him struggle with the little tool in his hand through one eye. After noticing the towel around Baird's waist, his unruly damp hair, Sam realized he'd just showered, and was now attempting to give himself a haircut. _With….clippers..._ The mechanic had a small chunk of the aforementioned hair between his first two fingers as he turned.

"Sam, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but unlike you, I'm a little busy right now." he took a moment to make a face at her, seemingly disgusted by her 'laziness'. "I don't have the time or patience to humor you today, so why don't you just, I don't know, piss off or something…"

Sam rolled her eyes in response, though Baird had already turned his back, glaring at her through the mirror every so often as if to ask 'why are you still here?' She was about to make a rude comeback of her own before the mechanic flinched, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth. The female gear smiled inwardly, the crueler part of her mind deciding he'd gotten what was coming to him. She was about to leave—job well done, before noticing the small drop of blood beginning to appear on Baird's neck, bits of blond clippings clinging to the effected area. She cringed in sync with Baird, who reached up to rub his neck, pulling his hand back after feeling the sticky crimson liquid under his palm.

"Friggin' great…," he groaned, barely loud enough to hear.

"You alright?" Sam blurted out, her tone alarmingly gentle. She didn't even realize she'd gotten up from her seat, and was already making her way over to him. The pain on Baird's face turned into confusion as he met her, concerned?—gaze.

"Uh, yeah, it's—I'm fine," he stammered awkwardly, fumbling with the clippers before finally dropping them. He was about to reach for them, but Sam already had the small metal tool in her hand. She inspected it for a moment.

"Don't you have any scissors?" she asked. "You're not going to get anywhere with these."

"I think there's some in the closet," Baird jerked a thumb towards the door leading to his bathroom. "But there's no way I'm turning those on myself. I'll be a pile of ribbons in no time," he stated truthfully.

Sam couldn't hide the shock on her face; it was completely unlike Baird to admit he couldn't do something. The mechanic seemed to catch on to her thoughts, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Hey, cut me a break, ok? It's my first time." It was true. They'd had a barber back in the barracks, even on Sovereign. But now that Ron had past away, and with only a handful of gears still alive, everyone was expected to take care of themselves and focus on the big picture. Re-building an under-populated, nearly obliterated planet with a scarce amount of resources out-weighed personal grooming habits by a long-shot. Come to think of it, Sam couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a professional haircut either. Luckily though, her hair was long enough for her to see what she was doing, and because she'd been raised to be self-sufficient, and because her Mum had shown her how plenty of times, she'd become a pretty decent hair-dresser. Sam couldn't picture Damon Baird, growing up in his parent's mansion, among some of the wealthiest people on Sera learning how to cut his own hair properly. For some strange reason, she almost felt bad for him.

"It's not that hard," Sam assured him. The brunette had already retrieved the long silver scissors from the bathroom closet before Baird had a chance to protest. She handed them to him with confidence, but the mechanic was skeptical.

"No, Sam, I don't—"

"Look," Sam cut him off, which annoyed Baird, but she didn't care. She was about to indicate where he should start before noticing the little red mark on the blonde's neck, blood still glistening on the spot.

"Oh, here," Sam dug through the pile of supplies she'd brought and quickly retrieved a clean square of gauze and a small bottle of peroxide. After pressing the tiny bundle to his injury, she advised a now bewildered Baird on the best methods for trimming sideburns.

"Just take a little bit at a time," Sam advised. "You can always cut off more, but once you cut too short, that's it."

After a few more pointers, Baird raised the scissors to the spot she'd indicated, but Sam could still see fear in his eyes.

"Or…I could do it for you," she offered, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

It just slipped out. Sam cringed inwardly, waiting for the dumb-ass remark that was sure to follow her unwise show of kindness. _God Byrne! Why can't you just keep your bloody mouth shut?!_ But Sam stopped berating herself after noticing the look in Baird's eyes; surprise, accompanied by a genuine gratefulness, which took her off-guard.

"Ok," he responded, his tone mirroring hers. "Just a trim please," he quickly added in his normal sarcastic voice. The quip, which any other day would have annoyed Sam to no end, actually relieved her in a way. Baird's soft tone, the look in his bright blue eyes, however brief, had made her stomach flip, and she wanted to smack herself unconscious for letting it._Come on, this is Baird._ Damon Baird. _He's the kind of guy who enjoys picking on the good-hearted people. The one who will torment you endlessly for showing the slightest of soft-spots._

But then again, he'd accepted her help. Could she have been reading him wrong after all?

"Uh, Sam?" Baird waved his hand in front of Sam's face, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Oh, right, right," she muttered, shaking her head.

Baird arched a brow, training his gaze on his female companion as she grabbed a clean towel from the small pile she'd left on his bed. She then placed all the remaining supplies on a nearby chair, and gestured for Baird to take a seat on the foot of the king-sized mattress. After he did so, Sam positioned herself behind him at just the right angle, supporting her weight on her shins, knees parked firmly on either side of him.

"Ok…Just a trim, yeah?" Sam attempted to make conversation as she draped the towel over his slightly damp shoulders. She couldn't help feeling just a tiny bit awkward, being so close.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Baird asked warily, not daring to move a muscle as he felt the cold metal scissors against the back of his neck.

Sam chuckled. "I'm sure. Just trust me, alright?" she assured gently.

Baird didn't answer, but even though he'd never admit it, he trusted Samantha Byrne with his life on the battlefield. Why should this be any different? As tense as he made himself out to be, the present situation didn't bother him in the least. He wasn't going to make that obvious though.

"Sam? I'm telling you right now, if you pull any of your crap—give me a mohawk or something, I swear I _will_ kill you."

"Always have to spoil all the fun, don't we Blondie…" Sam cocked a brow at him conspiratorially, earning her a death stare back though the mirror in front of them.

"Byrne, I mean it." He pointed at her reflection, and then used the same finger to trace a slitting motion across his throat.

"Now Baird," Sam's lips formed a sort of mock pout as she furrowed her brow, petting his ample blond locks. "How on Sera could I do such a thing to a pretty face like yours?" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, but the remark still managed to fluster the mechanic.

"Yeah well, I have an image to maintain, so let's get this over with, ok?"

Sam could tell she'd struck a nerve with Baird and cracked a grin. Before he could roll his eyes in response, she began trimming the uneven blond hair at his neck in a straight line, meticulously snipping away any stray pieces she'd left behind, which weren't many. She carefully worked around his fresh cut, handling the razor-sharp scissors like a pro. Baird couldn't help admiring her expertise, the way she worked with such efficiency, but made sure not to stare.

After a minute or two, Sam placed her palms on either side of Baird's head, silently willing him to look downward as she worked the scissors further up. His skin crawled as the south-islander ran her slender fingers through his hair, amazed at how gentle her touch was, how soft her skin felt against his own as she accidentally brushed his ear.

"Not too short on the top, ok?" Baird instructed; he could already feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as he stole yet another glace of Sam in the mirror. It was odd, he concluded, to see her so…quiet. She was all mouth, every second of the day, since the moment he'd met her. But now, she even looked different. Silently focused, completely absorbed in the task at hand. Something about her expression, that deep concentration made his heart beat a bit faster than before.

"Relax." Sam grinned, dismissing his concern. She paused, brow knitted as she combed her fingers through the long locks on the very top of his head, measuring their length mentally before returning to work. By now, Baird had given up trying to make conversation; he was far too content to observe.

"Alright, hold still," the brunette warned, and began trimming his sideburns with renewed caution. Baird steeled himself not to flinch even though the tiny clippings raining down scratched at his skin. Much to his relief, Sam finished in record time, making the whole process look easy.

"Ok. What to you think?" she asked with just a hint of self-consciousness as she flipped her bangs from her face.

Baird couldn't find his words for a moment. It was without a doubt, the best haircut he'd gotten in a very, very long time.

"It's—It's great," he finally managed, causing Sam to look up from brushing the last bits of hair from his neck after removing the towel from his broad shoulders and rolling it into a neat bundle.

"You think so?" she questioned, apparently not as confident about her work.

"Yeah," Baird insisted, refusing to let her be so humble. "Sam, it's perfect. Really."

"I don't know," Sam responded skeptically, combing through his hair again. "Maybe a bit more…"

Her voice trailed off as she continued to work her hands over his skull. Baird let his eyes close as she did so, his head swaying just slightly with her movements.

"Thank you," he said suddenly.

Sam stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of his voice, his words completely genuine.

"You're welcome Baird," she replied softly, a small smile tugging on the edges of her lips before continuing where she'd left off. She began running the tips of her fingers from the base of his neck upwards, eventually spreading them out to caress the tender skin behind his ears, which earned her a stifled groan from the mechanic.

Baird could feel goose-bumps beginning to creep across his flesh as Sam's fingernails trailed through his hair, every so often grazing his scalp just slightly. Her gentle hands felt amazing, and it wasn't long before he turned around and met Sam's dark eyes, staring into them intently. The female gear in turn kept her gaze locked on those gorgeous blue orbs, feeling a chill shoot down her spine as he leaned in closer.

As his face drew near to hers, Baird could feel Sam's heated breaths as he gently, shyly, brushed his lips against hers, once, a second time, before meeting them for good. A soft murmur of contentment reached the mechanic's ears as he wrapped his arms around her.

Sam gripped the back of Baird's neck as he began kissing her cheek, working his way behind her ear, down to her collarbone, nibbling softly before finally locking his lips with hers again. He buried his hands in Sam's silky dark hair as they slowly leaned against the soft mattress, still entwined in each other's embrace.

After settling down comfortably, Baird took a moment to study the woman beneath him, her chocolate brown eyes half-lidded, meeting his gaze, her moist lips inviting, slightly parted with soft, ragged breaths. Sam didn't say a word, equally intrigued and admitted excited by the other's presence.

In that moment, Baird's lips crushed against hers once more, and Sam could feel her entire body shudder with anticipation as he began leaving a trail of hot kisses along the base of her neck, going so far as to use his teeth to remove the straps of her tank-top from his path. Sam instinctively reached up, wrapping her arms around Baird's upper-body, which rested comfortably against her. She gently caressed his bare back, tracing large circles over the firm muscles there, every so often using her fingernails to tease his skin. A low, approving moan passed Baird lips as continued his work, thoroughly covering Sam's entire upper-body with kisses, maneuvering around various clothing barriers before deciding to remove them all together.

As Baird slowly rolled up her top, Sam took in the sight of his lightly tanned, muscular physique; Diminished, compared to most other gears, but no less impressive in her eyes. She lovingly placed her palm over his heart, taking her time moving south, all but freezing Baird in place before he leaned against her now bare chest for yet another long, passionate kiss.

After his towel and her clothing found its way to the floor, they continued for what seemed like hours, wanting every kiss, every touch, every pleasurable sensation of their moment together to be lasting and meaningful before finally collapsing at each other's sides, hands comfortably clasped together.

A contented sigh passed Sam's lips as she huddled closer against Baird's now feverish body, resting her head in the crook of his arm.

"Sam?" Baird eventually broke the comfortable silence, interrupted only by the sound of their slightly uneven breathing.

"Hmm?" Sam responded half-heartedly as her nearly closed eyes slowly met Baird's. The blond-haired gear seemed to hesitate, however briefly, as if he were on the brink of saying something, but eventually held back.

"Thanks again for the haircut," he quipped casually, letting every last drop of genuine feeling drain from his expression, replaced by his signature snarky, dumb-ass grin that Sam hated and loved so much.

But she didn't have it in her to be mad. Not now. Sam made sure to roll her eyes for effect, but the soft chuckle that escaped her lips betrayed any and all efforts at true frustration.

"You're quite welcome Blondie." _Yeah, I know what you meant to say, you big softy. No matter, I'll get it out of him soon enough._ She held his gaze with a grin, and to her surprise, he flashed a brief, but real smile back.

"You know," Baird began a moment later, rolling onto his side. "I could probably use a shave too…" He brought his freshly shaven face close to hers for inspection, but Sam propped herself up on her elbow, and incredulous look contorting her features.

"Don't even try it. You just shaved. I can tell." Against her better judgment, she traced the curve of his smooth jaw with her finger, noticing his eyes light up instantly.

"Yeah, but look. I think I missed a spot," he insisted, tilting his jaw back slightly, indicating beneath his chin. "Right here, see?"

Sam narrowed her eyes before taking a closer look, and all at once, Baird pressed his lips against hers roughly, letting Sam muffle a few protests/curses before pulling back with a dramatic air, exaggerated sound effects and all.

"You bloody idiot!" Sam laughed, punching Baird in the arm as he snickered uncontrollably.

"Hey, I have to find some way to keep you around." Baird seemed to choke on his words towards the end of his sentence, blue eyes widened comically as his brain frantically raced for something sarcastic or cold-hearted to make up for the 'blunder'.

Nope, he had nothing.

Sam raised her eyebrows, letting her mouth hang open to convey her complete and utter shock, despite that fact that she was inwardly laughing her ass off.

_I knew it._

She decided to enjoy having the upper hand for a moment, content to watch Damon-I'm-So-Much-Smarter-Than-You-Baird squirm, no doubt silently kicking himself for saying such a thing.

"Oh, really…So you do like having me around after all…" Sam knew that by now he could have easily diminishing his true feelings by saying something immature like 'well, the sex wasn't so bad.' That was so typical for him; it wouldn't have surprised her in the least. But he didn't. He just sat there with a blush on his face, fighting back a smile. She was proud of him.

Sam relaxed against her pillow again, stroking Baird's toned abs playfully with the very tips of her fingers. Apparently he was_very_ ticklish, and the little faces he was making as he held back laughter amused her to no end. She pulled her hand back after it looked like he couldn't take much more though, and brought her eyes up to Baird's again. The way his body had gone so rigid was hilarious, and part of her wanted to continue until he begged for mercy, but in the end Sam decided he'd been effectively chastised.

"Well, how about this," she lowered her accented voice significantly, her subdued tone borderline mischievous. "I'll be the one to cut your hair from now on." She watched his body slacken as her hand ran down his stomach.

"How does that sound?" she added, her voice reduced to a barely audible whisper.

Baird's eyes, which had begun to sparkle were flickering now, passionately, eagerly, _gratefully_, his momentary discomfort long forgotten. He rolled on top of Sam again, not giving her a chance to protest even if she'd wanted to, which he could already tell was the furthest thing on her mind.

"Deal," Baird replied with a smirk. Their faces were so close that their noses were touching. Sam brought her lips to his ear, her breathing already quickening its pace.

"So are you going to tell me you love me this time?"

Baird's ears immediately flushed bright red before he pressed his lips to Sam's.

"We'll see," he said after pulling back, trying way too hard to sound devious. As he let his hands roam about her body, Sam smiled inside; that genuine glint in Baird's eyes was unmistakable.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked it! :D**


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